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USB Swiss Army Knife

finno writes "The Register has a heads-up on a new Swiss Army knife by Victorinox. As the article says, 'Given that you can buy a Victorinox Swiss Army Knive with just about every gadget known to man, from horse-hoof awl to Hubble Space Telescope lens polisher, it's no real surprise that the company - in association with flash memory outfit Swissbit - is now offering cutting tools plus USB flash memory stick.' In my home state of New South Wales, it is illegal to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the lawful pursuit of the person's occupation'. I got me a reasonable excuse now!"

16 of 482 comments (clear)

  1. Nice, but... by Zone-MR · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nice, except flash memory is just a start.

    What I would really need is a combination pendrive, wi-fi, and bluetooth adaptor, and MP3/OGG player.

    Currently I carry a seperate USB flash drive, and MA401 pen-style wi-fi transceiver. The lack of built in memory on the MA401 means I need to plug in the pendrive every time I need to load the drivers.

    1. Re:Nice, but... by dalamarian · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, no, no.... What I need is a combination cell phone, pda, music player, swiss army knife, flash drive, bluetooth, wifi, digi camera, flash light, and salad shooter device. Only then would I truly be a tool.

    2. Re:Nice, but... by gorre · · Score: 5, Funny

      Nice, except flash memory is just a start.
      What I would really need is a combination pendrive, wi-fi, and bluetooth adaptor, and MP3/OGG player.


      What you are looking for already exists, it's called Emacs.

      --
      "Madness is something rare in individuals - but in groups, parties, peoples, ages it is the rule." -- Nietzsche
  2. Great... by jstrain · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I can be stopped at the airport for security violations AND supposed music piracy!

  3. Detachable RO setter? by MrIrwin · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have to use my pocket knife to operate the RO switch on my USB stick. Will this new knife have a detable device for setting it's own RO switch?

    --

    And if you thought that was boring you obviously havn't read my Journal ;-)

  4. Leatherman by onyxruby · · Score: 5, Funny

    I want a Leatherman version with at least 512MB and it's bootable. I would pay decent money for that. Swiss Army Knives are toys, Leatherman's are tools. Never trust a tech without one.

    1. Re:Leatherman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Bah! You teenagers and your "tools", back in my day, we didn't need a logic analyzer! We would just lick the terminals to see if there was a charge! If you got a tingle in your tongue, that was a "1".

  5. Hate to say it... by 0xbeefcake · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now that's what I call cutting edge technology!

  6. Offtopic by g0bshiTe · · Score: 5, Funny

    You know the author said in New South Wales it was illegal to carry a knife unless you need it for your job. God knows how many stores are held up annually by someone with a pocket knife. I mean really what would someone do? "Give me all your money, or I'll pick your teeth." Lighten up Parliment, I doubt that people with pocket knives will overthrow the throne.

    --
    I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
  7. Security Threat of USB Flash Drives by G4from128k · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd bet that devices like these give security officers, IP hoarders, and trade secret people the willies. The idea that someone (employee, vendor, or confident hacker) could walk into any office, stick their keychain USB drive into a PC and transfer files to/from an internal network is not too pleasant to contemplate. Seems like a great way to introduce trojans or snarf sensitive files. I wonder if some companies disable USB Mass Storage on their PCs to prevent this type of unauthorized access?

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
  8. Knife Repository by 4of12 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My Swiss Army Knife is with me constantly because it's so useful. Had it for years. I've lost the toothpick and the spring in the scissors, but it's still indispensible.

    So, with the recent crackdown in the USA on small scale implements of terrorism such as nail clippers, I try to remember to put my knife in the glove compartment before a flight.

    I forgot once. And I sure didn't want to give away my knife. The TSA inspectors must have 10 million pocket knives by now. What to do before getting in line for the security scan?

    I found an fake potted plant in an isolated corner of the airport and hid the knife under some bark chips.

    When I came back 3-4 days later I just picked it up on the way out.

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  9. From the picture by jandrese · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Did anybody notice the _other_ tools on this knife. There's the standard blade, good for cutting zip ties, opening boxes, and peeling off stubborn labels in a pinch. Scissors, which are generally useful, and a nail file, which I thought only showed up on the really big knives and the ones aimed at women. Where is the phillips head screwdriver, or even the flathead screwdriver? Actually, some knives have a nice snap on toolset that works quite well. IMHO, if you're going to stick a USB stick on a knife, it should have the following additional tools:
    1. Blade -- Every knife needs one. A combination large and small blade is nice but not necessary on this knife
    2. Scissors -- From cutting down labels to just about anything else, the Scissors are mandatory
    3. Phillips head screwdriver -- Or replace this with the socket set
    4. Flathead screwdriver -- Or replace this with the socket set
    5. Inanimate carbon-steel rod -- In place of the useless tweezers, for ejecting stubborn CDs or rebooting PDAs
    6. Micro-flashlight -- Built into the case, a small white LED bulb at one end is activated by pressing on a certain spot on the handle. The battery is stored in the case. I don't think any knife has this yet, but I know I've wanted it for ages. The light switch should be a toggle, so you don't have to keep holding it down while you're working.
    That's all I'm looking for in a knife. I'd pay $100 for one like that, especially if they called it the Geekman.
    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  10. Illegal knives by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Funny

    The law is similar in the UK. As in New South Wales, an exception is if a knife is a tool used for one's occupation. This is quite useful, since if I'm stopped by the police, I can explain that I'm a mugger and therefore the knife is a tool of the trade.

  11. pretty cool, but by JeanBaptiste · · Score: 5, Funny

    how does it match up to the USB Toothbrush???

  12. Top 10 Missing Swiss Knife Features by AtariAmarok · · Score: 5, Funny

    10. DRM-enabled so you don't cut anything you are not licensed to
    9. Large surface area on side with room for the Trump logo
    8. "Martha Steward" edition. It slices, it dices, it puree's, and it has a file for jail bars.
    7. "Matt Helm" special: knife inflates into full-sized bedroom complete with bed.
    6. Built-in $29.99 cell phone backup battery
    5. Special iPod opening tool for those rare occasions when you need to do battery work.
    4. Linking feature to enable a Beowulf cluster of swiss army knives
    3. "French Army Knife" version; opens wine with ease and aids in an easy retreat.
    2. "Rush Limbaugh" attachments: knives only on the right side, contains secret compartment that holds up to 80 pills (one morning's supply).
    1. FCC compliant - prevents carving of profane grafitti with its blades; and contains needle and thread to repair wardrobe malfunctions

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  13. This is nothing.... by AusG4 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Kalashnikov is now offering an AK-47 complete with 120GB firewire hard disk. Never be caught off guard again! Not only is this weapon the choice of counter-government revolutionaries around the world, but now it stores over 15,000 MP3's.

    --
    bash-3.00$ uname -a
    SunOS panda 5.10 Generic sun4u sparc SUNW,Ultra-2